Playing Changes Using The Modes (part 1) 

Part 2 is coming soon. Stay tuned, friends & neighbours!

I appreciate the lack of PDF's and such and your reasoning behind it. On stage, no matter how much practice goes into a show, things don't always go as planned. It is those moments when everyone is working on the fly and actively listening and responding that the magic really happens. From a handful of semesters of music theory classes over twenty years ago, the most important lessons that have helped me were related to ear training. Being able to recognize intervals up and down makes it much easier to pick out things by ear. The most painful part of the process was sight singing from sheet music and vocally reproducing intervals from a set tonic. I am not a singer, but with every instrument I've learned to play, the first thing that seems to happen is related to sorting out the intervals and how to make them happen on command. Singing helps internalize the intervals because it forces you to feel and taste the flavors. The alphabet is 26 letters. There are less intervals to learn up and down. It is worth the effort when learning the language.

2:05am Thank you Rich you showed me how to use the proper fingering to play

Thank you Rich! I started playing 2 1/2 years ago when I was 61. I TOTALLY dig playing bass but starting so late in life has made some things seem so hard to learn. Your teaching style is so calming it helps me be patient with myself! Thank you for that! Just what I needed!

There’s a big difference between experience and wisdom. This is wisdom man, pure gold. And it’s super charging my practice! 💪🤘 thanks so much 🙏

Embarrassed I hadn't thought of this before now. I had been practicing modal arpeggios by changing position with each mode. This one-position approach would have helped out a lot in jazz band

The shifting/inversion trick is very cool, however it has one major pitfall. It ends up stacking notes really closely together. Great for some circumstances, and super useful, and I will certainly use it. I'm sure you're already aware of this trick, but many may not be, so it's this: instead of looking at a major scale like 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 you can look at it like 1,9,3,11,5,13,7. The second way treats the 2-4-6 notes as extensions, meaning, if playing a chord voicing, you stack the notes unless notated as an "add". For example, a C9 chord will contain the 1,3,5,7,9 and you can use all of those notes to help spell things out. Likewise, a C11 chord has 1,3,5,7,9,11 in it. Some people would think of it as Csus4, but in fact a "sus*" chord is the same as an "add*", meaning only the 1,3,5 are necessary to spell out the chord then add the other note(s), usually one octave above the root. The reason for these is that by playing the extensions in the next octave up, you avoid creating a muddy mess. It's not a bad practice to treat 3s as 10s as well. I am looking forward to using this inversion trick and seeing where it applies best!

I saw your SBL modes lesson. This is probably the best exercise that freed up the fretboard for me. I took the same patterns and practiced them horizontally as well, along with the modes. I felt like a blind man who received his sight, "I can see! I can see!" Thanks Rich.

let's go Browndon!

Very helpful. Really clearly explained. Thanks!

Working my way through your modes videos 👍

Great lesson, it helps me a lot to improve my bass playing in the church band. Thanks Rich God bless you.

I have been playing bass for over thirty years; this video was a serious eye opener. Thank you good sir!

I am a beginner to theory almost a year as a worship bass player and your channel has helped me so much to understand theory and to help me improvise correctly

Great idea, Rich! Creativity unlock. Thank you! God bless!

Brilliant! So good! Thank you.

Dude…thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos, I’ve seen many now and they’re all wholesome as f*€k and very inspirational. I appreciate you brother, keep on keepin’ on!

Awesome, patient and clear description. Thanks!

Next level practice. Play through all the arpeggios in each of the mode positions.

Thanks Rich!!!!

Great lesson! Thanks Rich !!

Thank you for that comment about PDFs. I have downloaded plenty of PDFs over the years, and they are helpful at first, but I get more out of rewatching the video and taking notes on the things that I missed or that I struggled with.

There's times I would like PDF but I understand your intentions.I do figure it out.Thank you.

Great addition to your library, Rich! And I like the tough love approach, your ears are so immensely powerful, they need the work as much as your fingers do :D

Brilliant lesson, really helped me .I also love to just listen to your voice , keep up the good work.

Wow !! Perfectly Amazing cool that's awesome .

I’m loving your content. Your a great teacher.

Thanks!

the lesson i been searching my entire life.. thank you rich for your talent and thank you for sharing this amazing lesson and thank you for your life i am a fan here in philippines .. i'm crying right now

Great exercise thanks rich. I always find my fingers and my ears move faster than my brain. Like a conversation things move faster than you think but thinking ahead of what’s going on is what I try to do and your exercise and thoughts on it are very helpful, thank you.

This is what I was missing, appreciate you showing me this!

Good to see you back here!

working through your “theory and harmony” playlist ♡ great stuff that really helps me connect music theory to the fretboard

Great lesson....💥💥

Wow, this is so useful!!

Thanks, Rich! This exercise expanded my awareness!

Thanks! Love your lessons👊🏾

I’ve learned so much . Excellently done. Now to go and practice

I was also wondering about PDF most of the other Bassers put them up. I have a lot of them, you make me think more and I can slow you down if I get lost with where your fingers are going and then I can also hear if I make a mistake yes good ear trying also and you do sound funny in slow mo. cheers Rich.

Nice!

Agree completely about not providing the transcription. Thank you for all you provide.

Richy, it's vintage stuff from you once again! Hats off to you buddy, you just aced it!!

Hi Rich I am a79 year old bass player from Auckland NewZealand. I really enjoy your videos and just want to let you know that you are teaching an old dog new tricks. Many thanks .

tough love is a good thing

that's good teaching Rich thanks

Love the channel !

bro u r so good as a teacher

no need to apologize. i think your learning philosophy is a good one

Awesome once again, thanks for the practical visuals and the how to apply them. Always looking forward to reviewing your collection of video. Just a thought, create a series on DVD and sell them on your site! 👍👍👍

This would be over my head. Will try it a few times and see where it takes me. Excellent tutorial but I am still a young grasshopper here. Congrats with all your endeavors!! Go Team Human Cheers

Great advice Rich, I always listen like a thief, if I learn it from paper, I find I “ need “ the paper. Without the paper, it’s literally less baggage. Thanks T Hale

I'm a pro player and I find so much benefit in your content and delivery. Thank you for your channel and sharing your knowledge. Found the JOIN button when I logged in on my MacBook. FYI there is no JOIN button on the iOS RU-vid app.

Ears first was how it was from the beginning of time - PS - I thought you were going to play modes through Rhythm Changes! 😊 👍

Hey thanks for the great lesson Rich. I get what you are saying about PDFs. I can get a bit lazy sometimes when it comes to lessons. No doubt way better to write it out myself, if I want to have it. Then I have to actually think about it.

First to comment! 🥇

Is that called octave displacement? I think so. Adds a really nice flavour...

how about a minor chord, rich? do i have to play the same with the relative minor chord of a major chord? (hope you get my question makes sense....bad english ;) ) awsome teaching man, you're great, i like your smooth voicing! big up from france!

This may be something you've already answered previously, but what's the instrument behind you next to the door?

Greetings from Canada! Good job. Are you playing arpeggios or modes pls? Because the tutorial is on modes but you are playing 1-3-5

Wow, what's with all the ads that have started over the last few days? Great lesson though! Thanks Rich!!

Please please please I need a video from you.how to develop a ghost note,my name is Ibrahim baba from ghana

Use your ears. I think that's some really good advice.

Hi there is it possible to have live private lessons with you?

69 like, 0 dislikes. Nice. I'm gonna spoil it a little by adding one more thumbs up.👍

Hate to be that guy but at 7:49 I think you meant F#min7 b5. 🙂

Will you be going over any blues?

Genius🫡

Thanks!

Thanks!